Looking Out For You
by momoxtoshiro
Summary: Her legs felt heavy as she ran up the flight of stairs to the second floor, and her chest was on fire; she felt as though she had inhaled toxic gas as her mind began to swirl with utter panic. But her eyes remained focused and her legs never stopped moving for an instant; the fire in her eyes overpowered the crushing anxiety within her chest. -Takes place during/after episode 9.


**This is basically a Shinka appreciation story. She was always my favorite, and everyone started hating on her when she revealed her true self, but I think since she had such a chuunibyou past, she can relate to Rikka and Dekomori. She could be like an elder sister to them in that department, and this story just focuses on her side of things in episode 9.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai!**

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Looking Out For You

_Definitely! This will definitely work!_

Shinka thought to herself a bit smugly as she gazed up at the unknowingly lovestruck couple on the roof. The banner for the cultural festival was still being finished, so the two would have to wait a while longer for it. Surely spending time alone on the roof together with the beautiful pink rays of the sunset bathing over them would initiate some sort of movement forward in their relationship!

"I wonder what they're talking about up there?" From beside her, Kumin wondered out loud in her spacey voice.

"That dunce Togashi-kun is probably trying to find a topic of conversation." Shinka mused. "God, I hope he doesn't totally screw this up for himself... I've given him the perfect chance- if only he'd take it!" She sent an intense silent prayer up to the boy, imploring him to make use of the situation she had personally provided for him through her deliberate manipulation of the cultural festival banner-hanging group earlier.

"He should just talk about the sunset!" Kumin smiled. "We take it for granted because we see it every day, but don't you think it's amazing how the sky can turn red like that?" She closed her eyes and gave Shinka a smile only utilized by the natural airhead type.

"...You're actually pretty insightful." Shinka agreed after a moment of consideration.

"That was mean." Kumin pouted a little.

"Ah!" Shinka noticed movement on the rooftop at that instant. "It looks like he's made a move! Go for it, Togashi-kun!" She clenched her fist and cheered him on.

Ever since she was young, she had loved the concept of romance stories, and for her to be able to help make one a reality herself, it was like a dream come true to the closet romantic.

The elder members of the Far Eastern Magic Society of Summer watched from the ground as the smaller figure of Rikka stood.

"Ah! Is she going to go sit by him?" Kumin seemed to be rooting for them as well.

"I hope so!" Shinka nodded happily, eagerly watching as though it were a romance movie and the main couple was about to kiss. Since she had always loved romance stories, and still secretly did to this day, Shinka could find no scenario more wonderful than seeing her help from the background push the romantically-retarded pair a little closer together.

She was bubbling with excitement at the thought of seeing the delusional club members of hers warming up to each other, if only for a moment until the banner was presented for them to hang.

She had only wanted Rikka to sit beside Yuuta and just let them talk alone together for a few moments.

That was all that she had wanted.

_This_ was never supposed to happen.

Almost like in a horror scene, the small figure standing on the rooftop slipped. Rikka lost her grip on the railing and slowly began sliding toward the edge.

Time froze for Shinka for an instant as she tried to comprehend what she was seeing. _This...This isn't real, right? I-It can't be. There's no way..._

But the crushing force of reality seemed to slam into her like the impact of an oncoming train. She stopped breathing for a painful instance until she let out a horrified gasp alongside Kumin.

"RIKKA!" Yuuta's voice echoed from the rooftop, and immediately the students on the ground took notice of the situation. They screamed and yelped and ran to find teachers, but somehow, Shinka knew that would not work. Rikka's body was already dangling precariously over the edge, all of her weight shifted and ready to drag her down backward.

_There's not enough time. _Shinka thought. _The teachers are all on the first floors supervising club activities! Think, think, think!_ Her eyes flicked around in a panic as all sounds drowned out from her hearing. There was a suffocating tightness in her chest as she realized this was actually happening, that if someone did not take action quickly, one of her precious friends might _die_ right in front of her eyes.

It felt like an eternity to her before Shinka managed to arrange her thoughts, but in reality it was only a few split seconds. Instantly, she drew in a shaking breath and yelled at the top of her lungs to Yuuta.

"Come down! You can catch her from the third floor!" Then, without a second wasted, she forced her legs to move and began running herself.

Dropping the romance magazine she had been holding until now, Shinka ran, not for her own life, but possibly for Rikka's. She pushed through groups of students who were ignorant to the events transpiring right then, shoving through them without any apologies.

Her legs felt heavy as she ran up the flight of stairs to the second floor, and her chest was on fire; she felt as though she had inhaled toxic gas as her mind began to swirl with utter panic. But her eyes remained focused and her legs never stopped moving for an instant; the fire in her eyes overpowered the crushing anxiety within her chest.

She pelted down the hallway to the next staircase, but just when she was about to reach for the door, it opened from the opposite side, slamming into her and knocking her backward. Some startled students carrying supplies apologized in shock as Shinka fell to one knee, but she never allowed herself to lose her balance and she instantly pushed herself up and dashed past them to the third floor stairs. _Damn it! Every second counts! God, please let her be safe! Let someone make it in time!_

She practically flung herself through the staircase doors and into the third floor hallway, using every once of athletic ability in her body as she raced toward the classroom.

Her mind, which had been blank with fear since she had started to run, now began to concoct all of the worst case scenarios as she neared her destination.

Desperately, she made the final stride to the sliding door of the room where she finally stopped.

Panting hard, she looked ahead of her to see two figures standing outside. Two small arms wrapped around Yuuta's back, and faint whimpering sounds were just barely audible from where Shinka stood; Rikka was calling out his name again and again, in her cute, familiar voice.

Despite everything she had just been through, the terror and alarm subsided from within Shinka's body, and her romance-loving side took over almost immediately when she realize everything was okay now. She crossed her arms and managed a satisfied smile as she watched the beautiful scene of the two; the damsel in distress and the brave hero who swiftly came to her rescue just in the nick of time, now bathed in golden sunlight.

It was almost everything Shinka had ever wanted to witness, although she believed she could have done without the chaos-inducing slip-up.

She let the scene sink in for a moment, calming her racing heartbeat, telling herself that this was what really happened and reassuring that everything was fine now.

"Ah..." Shinka sighed quietly, as not to interrupt the two. "That's good... That's... really good..." Then, her knees gave out on her and she collapsed to the floor, leaning her back heavily against the wall. As if only just realizing how exhausted she was now, both mentally and physically, she let out a breath she was not aware she had been holding.

While she was attempting to steady her breathing, she heard more footsteps and looked up when a familiar voice sounded.

"Master!" She yelled in her childish voice. "Where's Master? What happened?" As Sanae reached the classroom she came to an abrupt halt, nearly bowling into Shinka sitting on the floor. "Wha-What happened to Master!" She demanded.

Despite her rude words, when Shinka looked up, Sanae's blue eyes were alight in panic and her hair was frizzed.

_That must have been what I looked like a moment ago..._ She realized. "Don't worry." Shinka grabbed her sleeve to stop her from entering the classroom. "She's fine." _Although I bet their moment together was ruined the second you opened your big mouth!_

Sure enough, Yuuta and Rikka then looked over to where their friends were.

"I...I'm okay..." Rikka announced tearily, her voice wavering.

"Master!" Sanae dashed into the classroom as Shinka reluctantly let her go. _Oh, whatever. They've had their moment, at least_. Shinka watched as her blonde junior threw herself at her best friend and they hugged, whimpering to one another. Yuuta caught Shinka's eye and he gave her a slight smile as he stepped past the two girls and headed her way.

"Gosh," she sighed, feeling obligated to say something. "I thought I was having a heart attack."

"You're telling me." The relieved look on his face was enough to make Shinka smile back. "Are you okay?" He asked a little skeptically, as she was still sitting on the floor, leaning heavily on the wall.

"Yeah, yeah. Just gimme a minute." She waved her hand dismissively.

Just then, a fifth person arrived.

"Is Takanashi-san okay?" Kumin asked the second she was within earshot.

"She's fine." Yuuta replied as she reached them.

"Ah, thank goodness." She came to a stop as she reached them, also smiling once she saw Sanae and Rikka hugging. "That gave me a scare! I can't believe you were able to think so quickly in that scary situation, Nibutani-san."

"E-Eh?" Shinka glanced questioningly up at her upperclassman as the conversation was directed at her.

"Everyone else was panicking," Kumin clarified. "So it's amazing how quickly you thought to reach her from the third floor."

"She's right." Yuuta added in. "I was so freaked out I could only think to keep reaching farther out to her, but that wouldn't have worked. I was too scared to think logically." He admitted. "If you hadn't shouted that out and given me another option... I don't know what might have happened."

"You're a hero, Nibutani-san!" Kumin beamed.

"H-Hah? No, I didn't really..." Shinka felt her cheeks getting hot as embarrassment flushed over her.

"Plus, you ran here so quickly!" Kumin went on. "I started running right after you, but you were already so far ahead!"

"Speaking of which, are you sure you're okay?" Yuuta squatted down beside Shinka and she jumped a little. "You must have collapsed the second you got here." His concerned words made her realize that even after the ordeal was over, her heart was still pounding.

"You were probably the most worried of us all!" Kumin stated, reaching her hand down to Shinka. Yuuta stood again and offered his palm as well.

Shinka blinked, turning her head side to side to look at each hand before she tentatively lifted both of her own. She slipped her fingers into their palms and they pulled her to her feet. Yet her legs were still trembling so much that she faltered, and her friends had to swiftly lean forward to support her. They held her up, each with one hand on her back and one on her stomach, as she took deep, calming breaths.

Rikka and Sanae then broke apart and made their way over to the other three. Rikka avoided Yuuta a bit too much and Shinka could not stop herself from thinking, _Hey, hey, you're being shy _now _of all times?_

"Oh-ho? What have we here?" Sanae's frightened expression from earlier had vanished and she now wore her usual, smug grin. "Nise Mori Summer has been vanquished? To the extent that the Dark Flame Master must assist her to do something as deathly simple as stand?"

Shinka was about to sigh and say "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just leave me alone", but before she could, Yuuta raised one hand and chopped Sanae on the head.

"That deathly hurt!" She cried, covering her forehead.

"Hey now, don't be so mean to her." Yuuta defended. "She's the one who was able to think realistically enough to help your Master."

"Ah, how unseemly of you, Nise Mori Summer." Sanae continued. "You let your tears show, even in the presence of your greatest enemy?"

"Eh? What are you-" Shinka blinked in surprise and felt a drop fall from each eye. She watched with hazy vision as they fell to the ground before she lifted her head.

"Hey, didn't I just tell you to stop being mean to her?" Yuuta frowned.

"Nibutani-san was really, really worried about Takanashi-san, too!" Kumin added. "And now she's so relieved that she's crying."

"I-I'm not!" Shinka blurted, but another tear fell, and her face turned red. She quickly pulled her arm away from Yuuta and wiped her face on her sleeve.

"Ah!" Sanae sounded like she came to understand something then. "So that's it. I had assumed it was because of earlier..." She trailed off.

"Earlier?" Yuuta repeated.

"Ah...yes, well...you see..." Her broken speech was ridden with guilt as she avoided all eye contact. Shinka felt she knew what was coming. "Just now, on the stairs..." Sanae mumbled. "I opened the door and might have hit her... B-But I swear by death, it was an accident!" She raised her voice.

"So that was you..." Shinka sounded more embarrassed than angry as she rubbed her sore stomach.

"I think we should take you to the nurse's office." Kumin smiled, patting her friend's head.

"You, too." Yuuta turned toward Rikka, who was still hiding behind Sanae. "Come on."

Once Shinka had finished wiping her tears, she noticed that Rikka was still avoiding Yuuta and refused to say anything to him. _Ah, geez. Did all of my hard work really only result in that hug? That wasn't even me, that was the situation, actually. _Shinka sighed to herself. _Oh well. I guess I'll have to keep giving her romantic advice bit by bit..._

The group of five made their way to the nurse's office, Rikka clinging onto Sanae's sleeve as Kumin pulled the still-trembling Shinka's arm across her shoulders. The room was empty of people, but there was a single bed there, and Kumin and Sanae helped the other to girls sit.

"Just take it easy for a while and rest." Yuuta said softly to Rikka, who was still unresponsive aside from a tiny nod. "I'll go and tell everyone outside what's going on." He patted her head affectionately before stepping away.

"I'll go with you." Kumin announced. "Come and join us when you feel better." She added to Shinka and Rikka.

Sanae made no move for the door, so Yuuta and Kumin left together.

A moment of silence between the three remaining girls ensued, and Shinka took the opportunity to close her eyes and replay everything that had just happened. _Thank god it ended well_. She thought. Yet her stomach was still twisted with guilt and she felt she needed to apologize.

"Neh, Takanashi-san?" She mumbled, glancing to the side where the smaller girl sat. "I'm sorry about all that. If I had just stayed out of your business and let things happen naturally, you wouldn't have had to go through that-"

"Nibutani-san!" Shinka slammed her lips shut when Rikka cut her off. "Don't apologize. You helped me... a lot. So, thank you..." Rikka whispered.

"Eh?" Sanae butted in. "What the death are you two mumbling about? Master, you should be wary of how much you converse with her; she'll use your weaknesses against you!"

"Would you be quiet for half a second?" Shinka raised her fingers and flicked the troublesome blonde on her forehead, sending her back a pace, yowling. "Just keep trying your best." Shinka winked at Rikka who blushed slightly before returning the gesture with a determined nod. Shinka smiled briefly back before returning her attention to the blubbering Sanae.

"Okay, okay, that's enough! It didn't hurt that badly."

"It hurts to death!" Sanae shot back, dramatic tears within her eyes.

"Yeah, yeah." Shinka rolled her eyes before directing her voice back at Rikka. "Well, I'm okay now. So I'm going to head out-" She was cut off mid-sentence when she felt a resistance on her arm; Rikka held her sleeve, tugging her back.

"Nibutani-san?" She muttered. "Could you...stay a little longer?"

"EH?! M-Master! What are you thinking?!" Sanae wailed disbelievingly.

But Shinka ignored her outburst as her own eyes widened a bit, and a faint fluttering arose in her chest. It took her a moment to find her voice again.

"S...Sure." She finally managed. "But why? You should rest a bit." Shinka reasoned.

"It's just..." Rikka's cheeks were flushed pink with embarrassment. "I want to talk to you a bit more, about some things..."

Shinka blinked again, still slightly confused. _Ah. So this is what having a little sister feels like?_

"Alright then." She sat back down beside Rikka, whose frantic Servant knelt before her, trying to talk reason into her.

"Master, be sure not to reveal any of your most vital secrets to her!" Sanae hissed.

"Don't worry, Dekomori," Rikka gave her companion a look that swore of the sacred and unbreakable bond between a Master and her Servant. "I just wanted to talk a bit more, and thank her again."

"You don't need to thank me." Shinka shook her head from side to side. "I just can't help but want to look out for you, since you're so hopeless sometimes." She patted Rikka's head, and Sanae looked as if she were about to lunge at Shinka. "Of course, that means you, too, midget." Shinka used her other hand to lightly bonk the blonde's head.

"I-I'm not deathly small! You Nise Mori Summer!" This time she really did lunge at Shinka tackling her onto the bed.

"Dekomori! Withdraw!" Rikka said, somewhat nervous that her romance instructor would be upset. But within seconds, Shinka's laughter got the better of her.

"Why you little!" She playfully dug her knuckles into the sides of Sanae's head.

"Duwaaah! I'm not d-deathly little!" She cried.

The three continued to fool around together, and a chorus of laughter filled the room.

_This isn't bad._ Shinka thought happily to herself. _Not bad at all_.

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**A/N: Hope you'll forgive the OOC-ness. I just think Shinka is like a sister to them, and deserves a bit of appreciation for the support she gave them behind the scenes.**

**Please review!**


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